Meddling
by Lady Cheshire
Summary: During one of their nights in Lorien, the Fellowship becomes restless. One thing leads to another, and somehow, the conversation turns to Aragorn's love life. All hell breaks loose after that.


  
  
  
  


It was well past the twilight hour in the city of Lothlorien. When all the elves had forsook the night's life for the comfort of their posts or for their places in waiting beside the Lord and Lady, or for their own peace. The moon had fallen behind the crests of the towering mallorn trees when Peregrine Took of the Shire rolled over on his stomach with a wistful sigh. Restless in such a tranquil place with the elves. 

Only Pippin. 

With yet another groan he rolled over on his back and started to fidget, trying to get comfortable. In this most tedious process, his heel connected with Meriadoc Brandybuck's cheek painfully. 

"Oy! Pippin, watch yourself!" Merry snapped in a whisper. 

Pippin swallowed, and tried to stifle a childish snort as he looked at Merry, wincing in annoyance with his hand to his cheek. 

"Um. . .sorry, Merry. . . It's just. . . I can't sleep." 

"I know. It's rather hard to ignore the sounds of restlessness from you, Pippin. You've kept me awake for about an hour now." 

"Erm . . sorry, Merry." 

Merry sighed. 

"I guess I can't blame you. I can't seem to shut my eyes either." 

"Why d'you think it's so hard to get to sleep around here, with all these quiet elves?" 

Merry paused. "I think it's Gimli's snoring." he said softly. 

In the corner, Gimli made a wheeze, a snort, and then a grunt as he flopped over uneasily on his stomach. 

Merry and Pippin could not contain themselves as they burst into hysterics, gasping to keep themselves quiet as tears came to their eyes. And rather, unsuccessfully, as Samwise was waken up brutally from a recoiling snort from Pippin. 

"Wha. . . Who?. . ." Sam stopped when he spotted Merry, cupping a hand over Pippin's mouth. Sam's face grew dark as he tried his best to glare at them. 

"Fools. Snickerin' and gigglin' right in the middle of these pretty trees and such, and on a nice night as well. You'll wake everyone up if you keep up your foolish horseplay. You ought to be shamed. Both of you." 

To Sam's content, Merry and Pippin hung their heads in shame. 

But only for a moment, because Pippin began laughing and snorting his nose again so loud, it triggered a jeering response from Merry as well. 

He glared hard at them, with only a flicker of a smile below his hard face. But this somewhat disturbing, yet amusing domino sequenced fit of laughter contagiously claimed a reluctant Sam soon enough, which promptly stirred Frodo from his uneasy sleep. 

"What's going on?" he asked, a bit dazed and a twinge groggily. 

Sam slapped a hand over his mouth as he realized just what he had done, cutting short his laughing. 

As Merry opened his mouth to explain in a whisper, a dark and low voice snuck out from the opposite side of the small den of trees. 

"Pippin and Merry have decided they need a good laugh before they seek solitude." the voice held a curl of a snicker to it, but it was not comical enough to make the three hobbits refresh their laughter. 

"Strider, we didn't mean to wake you, it's just-" 

"I find it highly unusual when such content people like hobbits cannot find solace in Lorien. But the fact that you _are _hobbits makes up for that fact by itself, I suppose." 

He was lurking in the shadows, but the hobbits could see him clearly, clothed in ivory of the elves, as his sleeping attire. 

"Did we wake you?" Merry asked quietly. 

Aragorn gave a low rumbling laugh. "Not at all. I often find restlessness whenever I'm here." 

"Why?" asked a deep voice. The hobbits looked over in surprise at Boromir's resting place. The son of Gondor was lying down in the curve of a tree branch, but his eyes were slanted open wearily as though he too were finding it difficult to find slumber's embrace. 

Even Aragorn seemed mildly surprised Boromir was awake. Or perhaps that he was interested in Aragorn's personal life made him intrigued. 

"Say again, Boromir?" he asked softly. 

"Why do you find it difficult to rest when in such a well protected wood?" 

Frodo sat up from his sleeping position and found a place beside Sam, interested to learn about Aragorn's peculiar weakness. 

When he hesitated for a long time, a soft voice from a low tree cooed for him. 

"He starts remembering." 

Aragorn's head whipped over to Legolas's resting spot and he snapped at him some delicate Elvish words, causing Legolas to laugh his charming laugh and sit up. 

"What do you mean, remembering?" Pippin asked, vaguely smiling. Aragorn was obviously getting uncomfortable. 

"Nothing that needs rekindling. Go to sleep, it's late." 

Legolas gave a soft snigger. "He starts remembering his first kiss from an elf." 

"This doesn't need discussing here, Legolas." Aragorn said, patience waning. 

"An elf? And not your own kindred? You are a funny man, aren't you, Aragorn?" Gimli had been woken as well, and nearly everyone was thankful he was a morning person. 

"Ah, but not just any elf, Son of Gloin," continued Legolas, unrelenting his tyranny on his companion Aragorn, "The very granddaughter of the Lady of the Galadhrim. Arwen Undomiel of Imadris, the Evenstar of her people." 

Aragorn allowed a slight crook of his lips to pass as a smile, as Boromir gave a wry grin. 

"Is she as fair as her foremother?" inquired Gimli anxiously of Aragorn. 

"As fair, if not more." said Aragorn softly. 

The hobbits began snickering again. And Aragorn blinked in their direction. 

"Pray tell, what is so amusing, my jovial little friends?" Aragorn seemed a bit sinister, and made the hobbits cower a bit. 

"N. . nothing." replied Merry, pressing hard on a laugh in his belly. 

"Or perhaps you, Frodo?" 

Aragorn looked to Frodo, and raised a curious eyebrow as he saw the somewhat darker hobbit chuckling and suppressing his own laughter. 

"No, Strider." Frodo said softly, for fear of breaking out into hysterics if he dare spoke any louder. 

Aragorn glared at them. 

"Perhaps, Estel," Legolas sighed, shifting. "The halflings find it amusing; that you, being a loner, somewhat ominous, somewhat unkept ranger can hold feelings for a woman. An elf. Or perhaps. . . that she would hold feelings for you in return." 

"I hardly see any mirth in that." said Aragorn dangerously. Legolas merely smiled. 

"I can see the humour in that." Boromir said dryly. Aragorn's gaze darted incredulously over to the other man. 

"Actually, it's amusing just seeing Strider in white. And shaven . . . and er. . . his hair washed. . and it's awful strange to see him talkin' elf talk-" Said Sam, feeling very awkward by the end of his sentence. 

Merry came to his aide. 

"That's enough, Sam. I think he understands." 

"Did you meet Lady Arwen here, then?" Frodo asked softly. 

Aragorn closed his eyes gently and shook his head. 

"I was beguiled by her beauty in the forests of Imladris. But she did not return that love until almost two decades later, atop Cerin Amroth . . . right over there." he looked over at the beautiful silver mound, shining in the moonlight in the far distance. 

"What do you mean, she didn't return that love?" Boromir asked, perplexed. 

Aragorn sighed. 

"I was nine and ten years when I first saw became enchanted by her. But she saw that love as, inane. Childish, I think." 

"She _said_ that!?" Pippin burst. "I can't believe Lady _Arwen_, that pretty elf lady at Elrond's table _said that_!" 

Aragorn smiled gently, and held up his hand, "No, Pippin-" 

"Not elves are nice you know, Pip. Some of them aren't nice at all." said Merry, trying to reassure his friend in an odd way. 

"Do not speak ill of the elves, young halfling. Especially on hostile territory." Legolas said dangerously. 

"Let them say what they wish! They are free, and unbound by the shackles of the elves!" retorted Gimli angrily. 

"It wasn't an insult, Legolas. It was just an opinion." Boromir reasoned. 

"WAIT!" bellowed Aragorn. 

Silence ensued. 

"Lady Arwen would never, ever in all her days ever say such a thing. But I got the distinct feeling, that is how she felt. And maybe, that love I had for her was childish-" 

"Ridiculous." Gimli waved away. 

"Ludicrous." breathed Pippin. 

"Mr. Strider, I don't know-" Sam started. 

"HOWEVER," continued Aragorn, cutting everyone else off. "She had a change of heart, when she saw me in Lorien, twenty years later." 

"Why did she have such a quick change of heart?" Merry asked softly. Aragorn chuckled. 

"Quick? For her, perhaps, but for me. . . it seemed an eternity before she had changed her mind." He looked up wistfully at the stars. "It seemed forever, without her." 

There was another silence, and then Frodo fidgeted on his spot on the ground. 

"How. . ." he started. Frodo paused. And then decided to stop abruptly. Aragorn looked back down at him. 

"Yes, Frodo?" 

Frodo shook his head. "It's nothing." 

"No, please. Everyone else takes pleasure in my mirth. Go, meddle." Aragorn urged him on, a grin on his face. 

"Go on, Mr. Frodo." Sam said softly, nudging him encouragingly. Frodo sighed. 

"How do you know she ever had a change of heart?" 

Aragorn's eyes slanted, and as his hand reflexively went to the hilt of Narsil, he knew he'd made a mistake. Everyone else seemed to notice this as well simultaneously, and panic spread like wild fire. 

"Wait, Aragorn-" 

"Don't do anything rash!" 

"He's just a halfling, after all-" 

"And I'm sure he intended no harm-" 

"You know halflings, can't keep their tongue still-" 

"And sometimes, he's just so damn stubborn, I want to take up my sword and cut off his-" 

Everyone stopped and looked at Boromir oddly. He blushed and sank back into the rut of his bed. 

"Er. . . sorry. That just. . .slipped out. Duel, if you must. Heh . . .heh. . " 

Frodo sighed. 

"I don't mean that in a wrong way, Strider. I just mean, what if Lady Arwen loved you all those years, but didn't tell you until you kissed on Cerin Amroth?" 

Aragorn thought long and hard about this question, as if he had never contemplated the possibility before. 

"Merry. . .?" whispered Pippin cautiously. 

"Yes, Pippin?" 

"Is Aragorn going to kill Frodo?" 

"Maybe. I guess we'll have to see. I've never seen a duel with a hobbit before." 

"I don't know, Frodo." Aragorn said gently. 

"And why not, Estel?" Legolas hopped down from his tree and crossed over to Aragorn. 

"You were never one to have a narrow mind; and Lady Arwen did ask the twins about you quite a lot after you left Imladris." 

"She was my companion then, nothing more." Aragorn said sadly. 

"Yes, but Aragorn, you don't _know_ that!" Frodo persisted. "I mean, elves, they're. . they're different. They hide things easier, more inconspicuously than others." 

Gimli subconsciously gave Legolas a shifty eye and furtive glance. 

"They're thousands of years old, so they know how to hide their feelings. Think of all the joy and sorrow they've seen, all the love and hate, surely they'd be so used to things such as unrequited love, that they'd know how to veil returned love, right?" 

Aragorn sighed, bemused. 

"You have a very intricate mind for a hobbit, Frodo." 

"But Mr. Frodo's right!" chimed in Sam. "Have you ever asked her if she was smitten by you in Imladris?" 

"It would be very inappropriate if I did-" 

"Oh, please Estel." groaned Legolas. "She's not going to hide her feelings for you now, especially since you are betrothed, and since you are suspicious, why would she deny you?" 

"Come to think of it, that does sound like Lady Arwen." said Pippin introspectively. Merry turned to him and gave him an outrageous look. 

"Pippin, you don't even know her!" 

"I do!" 

"From when?" asked Frodo, interested. 

"One night in the Hall of Fire, she touched my shoulder and asked me to pass her the wine!" 

"Oh I remember that." said Sam, a small smile on his face. "Then you dropped the wine all over that silk tablecloth, and she ended up handing you some wine from the other end of the table." 

"So? It was wonderful tasting brew. I know her like I know me own hand!" 

Aragorn sighed, and Boromir mimicked him. 

"Still. . . it does make one wonder. . ." 

"Wonder what?" Aragorn asked miserably. 

Boromir paused, and then sat up again in his bed and looked at Aragorn, a sly grin on his face. 

"How did you ever get the nerve to kiss an elf?" 

Legolas grinned, and Aragorn looked at him quizzically. 

"What do you mean, the nerve?" 

Boromir shared a swift side glance at Legolas, and he winked in return. Unfortunately, this side glance wasn't swift enough to go unnoticed. 

"_Legolas.. . !_" Aragorn started with a snarl. 

Legolas gave an exasperated sigh. 

"_He_ asked! And I couldn't very well lie to Boromir, could I, Estel?" 

"What did-" 

"I started talking about your betrothed, how we came upon this subject, I do not know. But I told him about the Midsummer's Night on Cerin Amroth with the Lady of Rivendell, and well . . ." 

"How do know we kissed?" 

"What, aside from the subject of our mindless chatter for the past half hour?" Legolas asked, his tongue dripping with sarcasm,   
"Lady Arwen confides in her brothers, and her brothers hunt with me, and-" 

"Oh, but you didn't tell me they kissed, Legolas." Boromir pointed out. "You simply told me they chased each other 'round atop Cerin Amroth." 

Aragorn's glance went back to Boromir, and the hobbits as well as Gimli fought to keep their laughter at bay when they saw absolute horror in his eyes. Legolas caught this as well. 

"Oh come, Estel, you're a hopeless romantic. You haven't made any denial of it so far into our journey, in fact you seem perfectly comfortable with it. Why such the sudden hastiness when we mention one fair lady's name and a moonlit kiss you shared her with?" 

The hobbits were actually awestruck when Aragorn shrugged, and nodded in acknowledgment. 

Gimli gave a mighty chuckle, and leaned forward on his knees. 

"So do tell us, Aragorn. When you were playing tag with Lady Arwen, how did you _ever _catch her?" 

Legolas looked down at Aragorn, amused as the rest of the Fellowship leaned forward on their elbows with sly grins on their lips. Aragorn rolled his eyes and fell back against the earth. 

"Go back to sleep, the lot of you. And be thankful I am much too weary for any duel."   
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
